看牙医学到的供应链管理

最近我和一位牙医师讨论到供应链的问题。他不久前才投资于一套十分先进的 build-your-own-crown 高科技齿模制作系统。 这套系统一开始先透过摄影/X光检查牙齿，分别在制作齿模的前后截取所需的尺寸数据。在病人等待的时间，该系统已开始制作齿模。前段使用CAD/CAM系统，后段则是激光技术。CAD/CAM系统能以3D呈现齿模影像，并控制尺寸、形状、宽度、深度与间距，并下载规格至制作模块上。整个过程约需1小时。 在此模块中，透过雷射形成瓷块，并经水柱冷却。由于我的牙齿天生较脆弱，因而花了好多时间看牙医。我的牙医知道我的情况，所以介绍我使用这种最新最酷的仪器。 在他购买这套雷射系统以前，我的牙医得将X光、适合我嘴型的橡胶模具以及其它东西送到实验室制作瓷牙套。在实验室中制作出适合我下巴和牙齿的黏土模型，然后再把牙套交给我的牙医安装在模型上。如果制作好的齿模安装不合，就得再送回实验室加以修改。这个过程约需4至6周。 因此，我问我的牙医，如果牙医诊所都买这套高科技系统的话，是否会让实验室没生意可做？他的答案是否定的。因为实验室也会因应这种趋势加以调整。一方面，由 于实验室不必再做模型以及来回邮寄，因而减少了成本。实验室也可接受来自牙医诊所的设计规格，然后制造齿模。此外，为了制作出更好的牙齿，实验室也大量投 资于材料与技术，例如采用氧化锆材质来制作齿模，不但更坚固也不会破裂。同时，一些更高阶的产品，例如植牙、牙桥以及特殊齿模，这些都是牙医诊所中无法做 到的。实验室仍在此供应链中具有重要价值。 几乎任何供应链中的情况都是是这样的，DIY模式可能影响原有的关系。例如在电子 产品中，直接向制造商订购组件看来好象会让经销商倒闭吧？但事实上并不可能发生，部份原因在于供应链的复杂性。经销商专注于为客户解决较高阶的问题，同时也透过线上交易DIY订单(主要是低量产品)。经销领域中的全球订单履行业务依然十分稳定。EMS公司富士康的规模可能直接订购组件，或在某些情况下，也会自行制造部份组件。 高科技齿模系统也是如此。从在牙医诊所即可DIY制造齿模即可了解。成本由高效率(贴近客户制造)以及物流(一次实现完美贴合的齿模)而抵销了。当然它也可能涉及一些风险。对于齿模制造机器、软件以及培训的初期投资相当高。然而，这并没让我去看牙医的费用 增加，而且我只需去看一次牙医即可，不必再来回跑三、四趟了。 我知道以后我还得再去看牙医，但不必再到处比较哪一家好了。在我住的波士顿地区就有低成本的供货商──如果你愿意给牙医系学生看诊机会，好几所学校的牙医学系都提供了折扣优惠。但我期待钱花得有价值，因此我坚持让我现有的牙医为我治疗即可。 在供应链中，价值与价格之间是一场永远的战争。当然，有时，比较一下是有必要的，特别是涉及许多钱的时候。但对我来说，最后的决定很简单：我的时间值多少钱？你应该会对我的回答感到惊讶！ 本文授权编译自EBN Online，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译：Susan Hong 参考英文原文：Supply Chain Lessons From High-Tech Teeth，by Barbara Jorgensen, EBN Community Editor

相关阅读：
• 联想PC市场逆生长，供应链管理创新有功
• 云端运算将为沉寂的供应链管理带来创新
• 最新供应链管理策略变化趋势大揭秘D6Eesmc

{pagination} Supply Chain Lessons From High-Tech Teeth Barbara Jorgensen I had a supply chain conversation yesterday with, of all people, my dentist. His practice recently invested in a build-your-own-crown system. It starts by photographing/X-raying a tooth, capturing its dimensions before and after it is prepped for a crown. The system then manufactures the crown while you wait. It uses a CAD/CAM system on the front end and a laser on the backend. The CAD/CAM system renders the crown in 3D; allows manipulation of the size, shape, width, depth, and margins; and downloads the specs to the manufacturing module. The entire process takes about an hour. In the module, a block of porcelain is shaped by lasers while being supercooled by streams of water. Since heredity has saddled me with very brittle teeth, I spend a lot of time in my dentist's office. The dentist knows what I do for a living, so he shows me all the "neat stuff" he buys to stay on the leading edge. Before he purchased the laser system, my dentist would send X-rays, a rubber mold of my mouth, and other things to a lab that makes porcelain crowns. The lab would make a clay model of my jaw and teeth and then send him the crown mounted on the model. More often than not, the crown had to be shaped, ground down, or otherwise changed. If the changes were significant, the crown went back to the lab. This process could take four to six weeks. Despite the Novocain in my mouth, I asked my dentist yesterday if the labs were suffering because they were cut out of the supply chain. He said no, because they have adapted. For one thing, they've cut costs because they don't have to make models and mail them back and forth. Labs accept the design specs directly from dentists and then manufacture the crown -- if it's not done in the dentist's office. Additionally, the labs have invested in materials and technologies to build better teeth. Crowns are now made out of cubic zirconia, which my dentist says is nearly impossible to break. And some high-end products, such as implants, bridges, and certain crowns, still can't be made in a dentist's office. The labs have managed to retain their value in the supply chain. In almost any supply chain situation, the DIY model can disrupt relationships. In electronics, ordering components directly from manufacturers was supposed to cut out distributors. This didn't happen, in part because of the complexity of the supply chain. Distributors focused on the high-end problems of their customers while enabling DIY orders (mostly at low volumes) online. The global fulfillment business is still firmly in the realm of distribution, with a few exceptions for massive customers. EMS companies the size of Foxconn can still order components direct or, in some cases, manufacture the components themselves. In these cases, scale makes all the difference. The same holds true for high-tech teeth. Manufacturing one crown in an office makes sense. Costs are offset by efficiencies (manufacturing close to the customer) and logistics (the crown fits perfectly the first time). There's also an element of risk involved. The initial investment in the crown-making machines, software, and training is significant. Yet I haven't seen my prices go up, and I make one trip to my dentist's office instead of three or four. I already know I am facing more dental work, but I'm not shopping around. There are low-cost suppliers in the Boston area -- a number of dental schools provide discounts to customers willing to be treated by a student. But I am getting value for the dollars I spend, and as long as that persists, I'll stick with the dentist I have. Value versus price is a constant battle in the supply chain. Running a comparison -- especially when a lot of dollars are at stake -- is a worthwhile effort. For me, the decision often comes down to this: How much is my time worth? You might be surprised by the answer.